September 12th, 2008

Grizzly Adams Release focuses on Christianity and American Presidents

Just in time for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, Grizzly Adams® Productions releases a new documentary, “Faith in the White House,” that examines how American presidents throughout history have relied on God and Christian principles to govern the country.

Both presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, have publicly declared that they are Christians. As both candidates know, from even a cursory examination of history, there is ample precedent for presidential belief in God. Yet, since his election in 2000, President George W. Bush has been attacked by his political adversaries and members of the media for his unapologetic commitment to Christianity and the teachings of the Bible.

Charles E. Sellier, founder of Grizzly Adams explains:

“Four years ago we released a television documentary titled ‘George W. Bush: Faith in the White House.’ It focused on a single president and how his faith in God sustained him as he faced one of the darkest days in U.S. history, September 11, 2001. Bush’s opponents somehow viewed his commitment to follow the Bible’s teachings as a weakness of character or leadership. The well-established fact that appears to have been overlooked since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1963 ‘School Prayer’ ruling is that American presidents have always talked about God.”

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and George W. Bush are frequently mentioned when the topic of Christianity and the American presidency is discussed, but—as this documentary establishes—Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Roosevelt should also be added to the top of that list. This film looks at all forty-three U.S. presidents. The film’s director, David Balsiger, notes,

“Every United States president, regardless of political party, affiliation, has mentioned God in his inaugural address. In fact, upon taking office after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, President Andrew Johnson, exclaimed, ‘Christ first, our country next.’ Somehow, over the past few years of unbridled political correctness, ‘One nation under God’ has become a bad thing. But our Founding Fathers certainly didn’t see it that way.”

Ronald Reagan, a Republican, affirms,

“The Founding Fathers believed that faith in God was the key to our being a good people and America becoming a great nation.”

George Washington, the hero of the American Revolution, the first president of the United States, and often referred to as the ‘Father of Our Country’ states:

“It is impossible to properly govern without God and the Bible.”

President Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat, proclaims that America is a “Christian nation.”

During World War II, on the evening of June 6, 1944—”D-Day”—as American, British and Canadian troops were fighting to establish beach heads on the coast of Normandy, France, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a Democrat, led the nation in prayer. Reading live on the radio, FDR begins by saying:

“Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.”

Sellier concludes,

“The truth is, despite many attempts over the past several decades to obscure the fact, the United States is a political entity and a cultural society based on the teachings of the Bible. This television program has been rigorously researched and its conclusion is indisputable: For 232 years, this country has needed and embraced a person of faith in the White House.”

Grizzly Adams Productions, named after its long-running NBC Network TV series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, produces network “Sweeps” TV Specials and series for the iNetwork (formerly the PAX-TV Network) and major cable channels. During the past 30 years, Grizzly Adams has produced more than 1000 family friendly TV specials and series for NBC, CBS, PAX, Discovery, SciFi, The Learning Channel and other networks. Eleven of their theatrical films are among the top 100 all-time independent grossing films (non-studio), with six of those releases ranking in the top 25.

“Faith in the White House” is now available for worldwide broadcast licensing and DVD distribution.